


Half an Adventure

by adiposeNarnian



Category: Peter Pan - J. M. Barrie
Genre: Child Death, Gen, If You Squint - Freeform, Religious Content, arguably - Freeform, bookverse, nerding out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-09
Updated: 2014-02-09
Packaged: 2018-01-11 18:08:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1176233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adiposeNarnian/pseuds/adiposeNarnian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A short Peter Pan story based on my favorite line from the book.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Half an Adventure

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: any religious beliefs implied in this story ate not necessarily mine.   
> The writing style, as well, is not my own, but a really dreadful imitationof J. M. Barry.  
> (Originally posted on fanfiction.net - it was mine then; it's still mine here - I've made a couple of changes and done some copy editing, because I was much younger then.)

It was a brisk day in April, chilly but fresh; the sort of day when everyone is just coming out into the sunshine. It was not the day for a funeral, yet there in the cemetery were a few people, clad in black, gathered around a coffin. A very, very small coffin. A man was finishing something about 'great loss' and 'innocent young life' and 'comfort'. A well-dressed young man was holding a near hysterical young woman. Everyone was crying, and what a waste of a lovely spring day!

 

That night, in the nursery the young couple sat and cried themselves to sleep beside the empty little bed.

 

It was very quiet, and very still. Nothing moved in the sad little house until, seemingly of it's own accord, the window drifted open. Then - stranger and stranger! - a boy stepped lightly through the window; just as if windows were things through which one might be expected to step. Neither of the young couple saw the strange boy, for they were fast asleep, dreaming troubled dreams that should not trouble the reader (only know that the dreams were dreadful, and that no-one should ever have to dream them). However, the little girl sitting in the bed saw him, and she thought him very odd indeed. Yet, somehow, she felt rather as if she already knew him, so she smiled politely and waved. To her further surprise and delight, the boy swept a great and courtly bow. She laughed and clapped her hands, and asked the boy his name.

 

"Peter," the boy smiled, "Peter Pan."

 

"Well, I'm Elisabeth," she hopped off the bed and dropped a clumsy curtsy "Very pleased to meet you."

 

"Pleased to meet you Elisabeth." He paused, waiting. "Are you ready?"

 

"Readyfor what?" Asked Elisabeth, happily curious.

 

"To go." Said Peter carefully, "It's really time to be going." His tone was that of someone casually noting that the clock has just struck the beginning of eternity.

 

"Oh." Elisabeth thought, and something no child should ever know grew slowly into certainty in her mind.. "I was sick…"

 

"Yes," said Peter solemnly, "You were."

 

"I'm not now?"

 

"You're not now."

 

"Oh." She hesitated, glancing back at her parents; and for a moment. Her face looked very sad, and quite grown up. Then a tear fell down her cheek and her lip quivered like baby's right before it cries. She turned back to the boy from the window. "We should go."

 

"If you wish it."

 

They walked tothe window in silence. Peter helped Elisabeth onto the windowsill before stepping up beside her. She looked up at him.

 

"Peter?"

 

"Yes?"

 

"I'm frightened."

 

"I know. But they're nice."

 

"Who?"

 

Peter grinned; a smile so full of mischief and sunlight and joy and trouble that to see it would do your heart good and make you smile, quite against your will. "You'll see."

 

_There were odd stories about him: as that when children died he went part of the waywith them, so they would not be frightened._

 

_-Peter Pan, J. M. Barry_

**Author's Note:**

> I've always loved this aspect of Peter, and always thought it was sad that it's never even touched on in any of the Pan stories I've found.


End file.
